PHOENIX — Resolute Road Hospitality launched about two years ago as a third-party hotel management company focused on providing attention and accessibility to owners. Two years later, that mission remains the same even as the company sets its sights on continued growth.
Gary Horton, president of Resolute Road Hospitality, said he's constantly visiting each of the Boise, Idaho-based company's 25 hotels to get to know their team members on a personal level. This has helped with labor margins and retention rates.
"Our focus is caring about people, our associates, our employees, helping them to understand that we are just as interested in who they are as what they can do for us, and getting this intrinsic motivation within them to care of an asset just as if they would an owner is really what's made us successful," he said in an interview with HNN at the recent Lodging Conference.
Resolute Road Hospitality's portfolio is heavily concentrated in the Western U.S., with properties in Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Texas. All of its properties have brand flags from companies such as Marriott International, Hilton, Choice Hotels International, IHG Hotels & Resorts and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
Chief Development Officer Daniel Pinheiro said Resolute Road Hospitality's organic growth has taken it into markets in that general region, but it is also a national management company with interest in growing beyond this region. For example, the company has some properties in the pipeline in Nashville, Tennessee, and has its sights set on eventually managing hotels on the East Coast.
"A lot of capital groups recognize how well we perform, and because of that, when deals hit the market, when there's opportunities, they come to us and they like our performance, they like our case studies and they understand that we're going to do a really good job for them," he said. "That natural, organic growth is going to come from those markets ... that short-term organic growth will come from the Mountain West, Sun Belt area."
Pinheiro said the future of Resolute Road Hospitality is "continued growth."
But that continued growth won't get in the way of its commitment to make their owners and employees feel seen, Horton said.
"We are not looking to be the largest management company in the country, because I don't believe it's sustainable," he said
Earlier this year, hotel industry veteran Eric Danziger retired from his role as CEO of Resolute Road Hospitality. Even in Danziger's short time with the company, Horton and Pinheiro said they learned a lot from him.
"One of the best things I learned from him is aligned interest with our people. Like-hearted people but different minds is a phrase he always used. Finding ownership groups, investors and associates that think and feel like we do is of utmost importance," Horton said.
Pinheiro said the team was "thankful and grateful for the time" they had with Danziger.
"Eric didn't care for the spotlight. He did a really good job listening to people, always seeking out everyone's opinions and perspectives, and then as a good leader would, bringing it all together to making the right decision on behalf of everyone in the company," he said.